Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ....

[bousozoku]

I still have no idea what possessed Olympus to make such a slow zoom. Sharp as it may be (it better be. The spec is so low that if it cannot make it sharp wide open something is very wrong), the usefulness is another matter. It is really a daylight lens and utterly useless at night without a tripod.

It's all about size.

When you're selling people on a small system, you don't show them huge equipment. Four-Thirds was supposed to be a small system and yet, the good glass is huge. Sure, it's smaller at the 135 format-equivalent focal length, but it's still huge and heavy. People even complain about the 50-200mm being heavy, though it's quite light and small.

Panasonic already commented about why their new 12-35mm and 35-100mm lenses will be f/2.8 and not faster--size.

However, if Olympus (or Panasonic) are courting professional users, they'll have to show bigger, faster lenses.

 

[theITguy]

The 12-50 and the new body to be launched would be quite well balanced. A hiking setup?

 

[Hitman]

Hi, sorry to jump in, I just got a call from a friend who bought the 12-50mm, he said the shopkeeper told him to download something before he can use the lens on his E-PL2.... Is that how the lens is supposed to work?

I couldn't help him, but he'll be bringing the lens to the office for me to try tomorrow. If anyone has the lens, do share if that is something one must do for the lens to work on the E-PL2.

Thanks in advance.

 

[wonglp]

Hi, sorry to jump in, I just got a call from a friend who bought the 12-50mm, he said the shopkeeper told him to download something before he can use the lens on his E-PL2.... Is that how the lens is supposed to work?

I couldn't help him, but he'll be bringing the lens to the office for me to try tomorrow. If anyone has the lens, do share if that is something one must do for the lens to work on the E-PL2.

Thanks in advance.

Iirc it's a firmware update to work with older models. So the cable and m43 body and software is necessary.

 

[vainqueur]

Hi, sorry to jump in, I just got a call from a friend who bought the 12-50mm, he said the shopkeeper told him to download something before he can use the lens on his E-PL2.... Is that how the lens is supposed to work?

I couldn't help him, but he'll be bringing the lens to the office for me to try tomorrow. If anyone has the lens, do share if that is something one must do for the lens to work on the E-PL2.

Thanks in advance.

Correct me if I am wrong, but by default, the new lens should work even without an updated firmware just that the power zoom cannot work. Obviously, it cannot work even with firmware update, haha... Unless, this new lens function in a different way.

 

[Parka]

Hi, sorry to jump in, I just got a call from a friend who bought the 12-50mm, he said the shopkeeper told him to download something before he can use the lens on his E-PL2.... Is that how the lens is supposed to work?

I couldn't help him, but he'll be bringing the lens to the office for me to try tomorrow. If anyone has the lens, do share if that is something one must do for the lens to work on the E-PL2.

Thanks in advance.

There's no need to download anything for the lens to work.

It's plug-and-play, or so to speak.

Some photos of from 12-50mm & EPL2

 

[paparazzi666]

I think zooms are just a compromise, even pro zooms with f2.8 aperture say a 24 to 70mm f2.8, cannot produce a picture like a 24mm f1.4 or a 50mm f1.4 shot.

Zooms just create a middle of the road bokeh and its sharpness at f2.8 cannot compete with a prime lens at f2.8.

Plus a zoom lens at that speed is VERY heavy.

So if you just dont like this zoom, then try one of following:

25mm c mount lens like Pentax or Fujinon. Some example of result here.
Flickr: Please wait...

Something really fast? Voigtlander 25mm f0.95.
Flickr: Please wait...

The c mount lenses are especially small, and if you want AF (which I think is also not very important) then the 20mm, or the latest 45mm/1.8 are all small, fast, bokeh monsters.

I think people like zooms its because its fun in the viewfinder, being able to play with composition and field of view, cool. But the end result, the picture, zooms just cant compete with primes.

If you want something really small, but all at f2.8, then go get the whole set of Pentax 110 lenses from 18mm to 70mm. They are so dinky and cute and FUN. And produce great quality.

Today, I would not consider a fast f2.8 zooms as daylight lenses, because such zooms are just too heavy, too slow for night use unless you use very fast ISO and like GRAIN.

If you use a Voiglander f0.95, that is a night lens PERIOD. And the Bokeh? Which zoom can reproduce that?

We love the m43 for a reason, compact, great image. But m43 has more depth of field. even an f2.8 zoom is gonna have the depth of field of something like f5.6 on full frame. We really need to goto f1.4 or f0.95 wherever we want to play with DOF control and getting that Bokehlicious look. So zooms, are for average.

 

[Atarandas]

I think zooms are just a compromise, even pro zooms with f2.8 aperture say a 24 to 70mm f2.8, cannot produce a picture like a 24mm f1.4 or a 50mm f1.4 shot.

Zooms just create a middle of the road bokeh and its sharpness at f2.8 cannot compete with a prime lens at f2.8.

Plus a zoom lens at that speed is VERY heavy.

So if you just dont like this zoom, then try one of following:

25mm c mount lens like Pentax or Fujinon. Some example of result here.
Flickr: Please wait...

Something really fast? Voigtlander 25mm f0.95.
Flickr: Please wait...

The c mount lenses are especially small, and if you want AF (which I think is also not very important) then the 20mm, or the latest 45mm/1.8 are all small, fast, bokeh monsters.

I think people like zooms its because its fun in the viewfinder, being able to play with composition and field of view, cool. But the end result, the picture, zooms just cant compete with primes.

If you want something really small, but all at f2.8, then go get the whole set of Pentax 110 lenses from 18mm to 70mm. They are so dinky and cute and FUN. And produce great quality.

Today, I would not consider a fast f2.8 zooms as daylight lenses, because such zooms are just too heavy, too slow for night use unless you use very fast ISO and like GRAIN.

If you use a Voiglander f0.95, that is a night lens PERIOD. And the Bokeh? Which zoom can reproduce that?

We love the m43 for a reason, compact, great image. But m43 has more depth of field. even an f2.8 zoom is gonna have the depth of field of something like f5.6 on full frame. We really need to goto f1.4 or f0.95 wherever we want to play with DOF control and getting that Bokehlicious look. So zooms, are for average.

Very interesting views on bokeh and zooms. Thanks for sharing, especially on the night lens and middle of road bokeh.

 

[NazgulKing]

Yes, zooms are a balance of aperture, size etc., but I question the point of this zoom and the practicality, i.e. the engineering choices made. What is the point of a slow lens that is... so bloody slow on the 50 end? Why not shorten the zoom range to 35mm allow for an overall brighter zoom like f3.5-f4.5 or even f2.8-f3.5? A slow 12-35mm would be a better complement to the incoming Panasonic one which is catered for the higher end users (or users with deep pockets). Did the marketing (staffed by monkeys) again dictated the engineering decisions?

Olympus should be working harder to provide better lenses for us to use, but quite frankly, I am sometimes utterly appalled by the product placement.

 

[Oly5050]

Nazgul-Just because u dun understand it does not mean that its bad. You have a better understanding of photography than most but i wld say 90% of people who buy cameras do not or hv little understanding. Focal length and aperture are meaningless numbers to them. They only know 5 x zoom camera is better than 2 x zoom camera which is better than camera with no zoom. Oly produces a spectrum of products to suit everyone from total clueless to pro, so if it does not suit you, just dun buy it. Oly does not exist for u alone and it does not exist to please you unless you are someone who can buy a few hundred thousand of their cameras at one shot. For me, i have 4 m4/3 bodies but i do not use a single oly or panny zoom lens. Everythg i use is prime. Hence, I can understand where u are coming from. Just do not be quick to label their decision to make this lens appalling just because you do not understand their reasoning bec your demands for photography is more than the average camera user.

 

[Oly5050]

Paparazzi - love your photos btw. Good work!

You did great work with the c mount lenses, but i personally do not like them. The vignetting is too much and its hard to manual focus. Perhaps its a lens for more accomplished photographers like you. Def not for someone who is mulling on whether he should get the new m4/3 kit lens. Haha.

 

[AbsolutKev]

Any celeb pics to share paparazi?

 

[tomcat]

Hi, sorry to jump in, I just got a call from a friend who bought the 12-50mm, he said the shopkeeper told him to download something before he can use the lens on his E-PL2.... Is that how the lens is supposed to work?

I couldn't help him, but he'll be bringing the lens to the office for me to try tomorrow. If anyone has the lens, do share if that is something one must do for the lens to work on the E-PL2.

Thanks in advance.

See here for the m43 camera firmware update list....
Joint update service for OLYMPUS E-SYSTEM - OLYMPUS Digital Camera

There is no new firmware update for E-PL2. The 12-50mm will work on the E-PL2 as is. There are new firmwares for E-P3, E-PL3 and E-PM1 which would let the focal length be displayed on the LCD screen as the 12-50mm zoom ring is turned. With the E-PL2, the difference therefore is that the focal length would not be displayed on the LCD screen as the zoom ring is turned, so the user does not know exactly what is the focal length selected.

 

[bousozoku]

Yes, zooms are a balance of aperture, size etc., but I question the point of this zoom and the practicality, i.e. the engineering choices made. What is the point of a slow lens that is... so bloody slow on the 50 end? Why not shorten the zoom range to 35mm allow for an overall brighter zoom like f3.5-f4.5 or even f2.8-f3.5? A slow 12-35mm would be a better complement to the incoming Panasonic one which is catered for the higher end users (or users with deep pockets). Did the marketing (staffed by monkeys) again dictated the engineering decisions?

Olympus should be working harder to provide better lenses for us to use, but quite frankly, I am sometimes utterly appalled by the product placement.

The point is that these lenses all have to be small.

Look at how big the Four-Thirds lenses have been. While the 90-250mm would be smaller than a 180-500mm lens, did it really seem a representation of a smaller system? Does the E-5 seem smaller than dSLRs in its price range?

Panasonic and Olympus have been consistently pushing out smaller lenses, regardless of the image quality or the maximum aperture. It seems that they're willing to sell the system as small despite what professionals might think about other matters.

The aperture of the 12-50mm is no worse than the 18-180mm Four-Thirds lens and that has been surprisingly good for an average lens. You can't expect too much out of Olympus. They've been on the downslide for quite a while.

 

[NazgulKing]

You can't expect too much out of Olympus. They've been on the downslide for quite a while.

The flip side is that it is because they aren't delivering enough to survive makes their own survivability even more questionable.

 

[Oly5050]

The flip side is that it is because they aren't delivering enough to survive makes their own survivability even more questionable.

The irony to that is that they depend on selling to the masses to survive. In any case, I do not think that survivability is the question now. Mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses are now the rage. Pentax is just in also with the super cute K01. This all is olympus' vision for more than 10 years starting from the E1. Now we are just starting to see it. Slagging them over one kit lens is like being penny wise pound foolish. Like I said, dun like the lens, dun buy it. There will be hundreds or thousands of people who actually will like and buy the lens...and won't know the difference. The profits from those, will help Olympus to fund the primes that they make, which YOU and I will buy. Chill man....

 

[elgkh]

The irony to that is that they depend on selling to the masses to survive. In any case, I do not think that survivability is the question now. Mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses are now the rage. Pentax is just in also with the super cute K01. This all is olympus' vision for more than 10 years starting from the E1. Now we are just starting to see it. Slagging them over one kit lens is like being penny wise pound foolish. Like I said, dun like the lens, dun buy it. There will be hundreds or thousands of people who actually will like and buy the lens...and won't know the difference. The profits from those, will help Olympus to fund the primes that they make, which YOU and I will buy. Chill man....

Good point. It is just like when Porsche introduced the Cayenne - there were howls of outrage from the faithful, who did not think that a sports car maker should be making SUVs. But it was the profits from this SUV that allowed Porsche to develop better cars for the enthusiasts.

 

[Hitman]

See here for the m43 camera firmware update list....
Joint update service for OLYMPUS E-SYSTEM - OLYMPUS Digital Camera

There is no new firmware update for E-PL2. The 12-50mm will work on the E-PL2 as is. There are new firmwares for E-P3, E-PL3 and E-PM1 which would let the focal length be displayed on the LCD screen as the 12-50mm zoom ring is turned. With the E-PL2, the difference therefore is that the focal length would not be displayed on the LCD screen as the zoom ring is turned, so the user does not know exactly what is the focal length selected.

Thanks. I tested the lens today on his E-PL2, seems alright, focus is fast, and everything works as it should be. One thing that he didn't know how to operate was the macro mode, and it takes me a while to explain why the aperture starts from f/6 in macro mode.

Anyway, it's a fine lens, in fact a great lens for it's intended purpose. But not for me.... I like large apertures

 

[bousozoku]

The flip side is that it is because they aren't delivering enough to survive makes their own survivability even more questionable.

True. They had their chance in 2005 to bring out a new flagship dSLR and they didn't and what they brought out in 2007 was only good for 2005. It's as though they thought that the E-1 was enough for all time or they didn't know what to do since the sensor line was at its pinnacle at the start.

 

[NazgulKing]

The irony to that is that they depend on selling to the masses to survive. In any case, I do not think that survivability is the question now. Mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses are now the rage. Pentax is just in also with the super cute K01. This all is olympus' vision for more than 10 years starting from the E1. Now we are just starting to see it. Slagging them over one kit lens is like being penny wise pound foolish. Like I said, dun like the lens, dun buy it. There will be hundreds or thousands of people who actually will like and buy the lens...and won't know the difference. The profits from those, will help Olympus to fund the primes that they make, which YOU and I will buy. Chill man....

I wouldn't be so optimistic. Olympus is like selling their discontinued bodies in the US at rock bottom prices that make mid to high end compacts like the LX5 and others look cheap. One has to seriously wonder what is their marketing thinking.

EDIT: EP1 for 330USD. Anyone wants?